My name is Kris I have a very popular vacation home. Someone staying at my place who, was breaking my house rules, filed a complaint of privacy issues. With no contact from Airbnb

[Kris3563]

My question is. What is the protocol and is it legal for Airbnb to give me no reason and no notification of why my listing has been suspended.. And with my four phone calls to customer support. And six emails to the safety department I was still left completely in the dark as to who was complaining which one of my guests was it .how can I defend myself. I only know there were recent recent guests at my place, who I informed them they were breaking my house rules. I have to assume it was one of those guests who made the complaint. What is the protocol is  it legal for Airbnb to put me through this, with no explanation as to what is happening. Finally after two weeks someone from the safety department wrote me a email saying they had a complaint of undisclosed cameras on the property. I've replied I am following all the rules about that, everything is disclosed .add the guests know that. So why am I still suspended. I still do not have contact from the person who says he is working on the case. we talked on the phone three days ago I emailed him yesterday asking him what is going on and still no response. as seems to be the case whenever I email people working for Airbnb on different cases i have had in the past. But suspending my listing is not allowing me to defend myself against what I know is simply a disgruntled guest trying to lash out at my business  or get back in someway for me busting them for breaking my house rules. as this has happened twice now. If  all a guest has to do is make a complaint against a property they are staying at, and then that listing gets suspended with no notification as to why , and no department that I can contact to ask why. That is dysfunctional in the extreme. this cannot be legal.

[Sarah977]

@Kris3563  I have learned a lot from other hosts here, try to help out others if I can, and enjoy many of the conversations that take place here, that is why I am active on the forum. I certainly don't do it for "gratitude". 

Level 10 just refers to how active a user is on the  forum, nothing to do with expertise or anything. If you participate here for years, everyone will be Level 10. 

It isn't anything anyone strives for, I can't imagine, as there are no perks or privileges it bestows.

[Tina7372]

I turned off instant booking because I had no control over who booked.  But I am having all kinds of issues just in the last couple of weeks where guests book for 4 adults and then show up with 7, including 2 children between the ages of 2 and 4 along with a nanny.  My house clearly says that it is not suitable for infants and children.  I should have refused him entry the first day but instead I sent a request for extra guest fees.  He thinks that children should not pay the same guest fee as an adult and wants to negotiate the fees.  Airbnb support is saying that I should have had in my listing that there are fees for extra guests so he could see that when he booked.  I do have extra guests fees $50/guest over 4 per night.  (My nightly rate near Vail in peak season is now $1000).  It's him that lied on his reservation.  If he had entered the correct number of people (how am I to know until he shows up that it's not correct?) he would have seen the extra charges and could decide at that time if he wanted to book my place or not.  At this point, there should be no negotiating.

Then my other listing clearly says, 1 dog.  Someone wrote in their message I'm coming with my husband, my sister and my dog.  In her reservation details she says 3 adults and 2 dogs.  So, I've written before she arrives and told her that she can only bring 1 dog that she will need to leave one dog behind (one is hers, one is her sister's that lives only 2 hours away) or cancel her reservation.  People DO NOT read the listings and then airbnb wants to penalize hosts.  I cannot make sure that people have read the listing in its entirety.  On the dog listing, I do say read all the house rules or contact host BEFORE booking.  Yes, I take up valuable description space to encourage people to SLOW down and read everything.

I'm sure that the guest with the 7 people has given me a bad review today because I wouldn't cut $150 off the extra guest fees.  I offered to reduce my guest fee by $50 for the duration of the trip.  Then, he left one night early saying "hope we can call it even"!

Time for Airbnb to hold guests responsible for their own oversights and inaccurate bookings.

[Helen3 · Accepted solution]

I am so sorry that this happened to you, but what a shame you didn't leave an honest review to warn your fellow hosts about these awful guests @Kris3563 

As an experienced SH you will know it's against Airbnb T&Cs to try and use the review process to threaten a host for financial or other gain.

I think it would have been fairly self-evident that these were the guests that complained when you called them out - presumably for bringing pets/guests to the listing who weren't on the booking.

As other hosts have mentioned as soon as you knew there was a problem with these guests you should have flagged it with Airbnb (personally I don't let people stay who aren't on the booking) and reminded Airbnb that you clearly promote CCTV at your listing in line with their T&CSs.

@Catherine-Powell  this is yet another example of hosts who when they call out guests for exceeding guests numbers on the booking using CCTV which is mentioned in line with your T&Cs  - find themselves being suspended with no explanation .

How can this by right that you penalise a host who has done nothing wrong by suspending their listings for week/months, when a quick glance at the listing would tell your staff that CCTV is clearly displayed and therefore there's no reason to suspend the host. 

Can you explain why Airbnb has this policy of suspending a host and affecting their livelihood when in the majority of cases the host has done absolutely nothing wrong and their CCTV is displayed in line with your T&Cs.

[Kris3563]

Well you're the very experienced one here. I'm only a year long  Super host with 92   five stars reviews  and three that or not. And 80% of my reviews my name is mentioned, in regards to how accommodating I was personally . having checked the guest in personally and treated them with respect. So I'll ask you, like I suggested numerous times this week to others here .Together our voices should be able to change air B&Bs policies ,protocols, or whatever towards the hosts in so many similar situations.. By the way can you read my other posts . I'm  very new at this. The guest was smoking, and they damaged things. not a dog situation. That is why I'm even bothering with this. I'm looking to band together, to change things. not here to complain. also looking for answers for my particular situation .not looking for fingers to be pointed.

[Danielle1054]

I'm having a similar problem on a much smaller scale and I know this is an older thread but there is so much information as to be confusing. I've been suspended and penalized to no end over one ungrateful guest being made to feel like I am the worst host ever all of a sudden. And having to shell money out of my own pocket to try to prove my innocence.  Someone should have to pay for this whether it be the guest or Airbnb but I'm having trouble finding legal advice. Do I go through Airbnb or hire an independent lawyer? What would I be suing for? And would I go after the guest or is that against policy too? I hope someone out there gets this TI A

[Mark116]

@Kris3563  With Airbnb you have to learn to pick you battles. I would guess in hindsight you would not have made an issue of someone smoking on the porch who leaned in to the house.  But, yes, Airbnb absolutely sets it up to incentive hosts to keep silent and accept damage and rule breaking as the cost of doing business.

[Kris3563]

I have you now. I mean I understand. To whom  it may concern. I promise to never get on this Community form  again, or make any kind of complaint against the wondrous and Almighty Airbnb. I promise to never try to band individuals in the hosting arena, together, to promote any change in this company . By using this opened format. If airbnb will but let me continue to run my service ,having a rental or two on there advertising site. I also agree to remain complacent and much more indifferent to how people treat my rental or rentals. If you will but lift my suspension in the next few days please. i in other words you win. I have lost plenty. but I would like to continue to work with this company.  signed forever your *** Kris. PS I will not be reading or  responding to any other messages in this format or message thread. I learned a lot not thank you.

[Mark116]

@Kris3563  I'm not sure why you have taken offense to other hosts giving you advice, and attempting to help trouble shoot what you could do differently in the future so as not to have a replay of the same situation.  

[Helen3]

Hello @Kris3563 

I'm sorry you have reacted this way to hosts who were doing their best to help you.

No-one said you shouldn't raise concerns about Airbnb on this community. Quite the contrary we agreed that Airbnb's policy of suspending hosts in this situation is wrong and I copied in their Head of Customers Services asking why this should be the case. 

[Emilie]

Hi @Kris3563, 

I thought it'd be worth clarifying that the Community Center welcomes everyone and  is open to all opinions, whether positive or negative. Everyone here is an Airbnb Host, or guest, just like you, and is providing guidance and information based on their own knowledge and experiences. It is a space for support and advice, and in order for it to remain constructive we have to all remain respectful of each other. 

I'm really sorry if you've felt that this conversation wasn't helpful, and I hope your initial issue will soon be resolved. Thanks as well to everyone who tried to help. 🙂

Emilie